Ask the Patriarch 231
Reversal of After Death Baptism

from: GCP

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I found your reversal of baptism website when I searched for "unbaptism" and I found it very interesting.

I have a strong suggestion... add a category for unbaptism to include "after death". My father was baptised after death in the Mormon church by my brother, (against my father's wishes) and I told him that our father would be unbaptised.

Can you help me out?

The Patriarch replies:

Thank you for your positive comments on the unbaptism site. I keep it pretty low key compared to this site, but quite a few people have found it useful.

I hope to deal with the problem you raised within the next couple of weeks, and also address, perhaps a more important issue with unwanted after death baptism. But first - I'd like to make a suggestion of a more personal nature.

As far as I am concerned, the living are far more important than the dead. I understand your distress that your father was baptised against his express wishes, but, if this ritual has actual significance on the soul of a departed person, then it is probably something the dead can resolve for themselves. However, you and your brother are both still alive.

Yes - your brother did something wrong that causes you distress and probably would distress your father if he were aware of it. But is tit-for-tat retaliation going to help? Obviously I do not know the details of your family situation other than your few words, but I ask you to consider the impact. Is this worth rupturing whatever bond exists between you and your brother? And you should also consider any other family members who would be adversely affected by this fraternal dispute.

Having gotten that off my chest, I recognize that there are those that will get warranted satisfaction and comfort out of a document rejecting after death baptism. Accordingly, I will in the relatively near future work at getting two additional certificates on the unbaptism site.

The first one will be one you did not request, but I view as more important because it will be clearly for the living. It will be a certificate anyone can use to renounce and declare invalid any baptism performed on them after death. This could be filed with your will, and also a copy sent to any organization that practices after death baptism.

The second document, once I come up with some appropriate words, will renounce on their behalf unwanted baptism performed after death on close relatives and ancestors.

How long it takes depends on whether I am able to use/modify the current certificate program or if I have to seek some programming assistance again.